But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Galatians 5:22-23.

Be joyful always; pray continually. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-17.

The Lord, He is the One who goes before you. He will be with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed. Deuteronomy 31:8 NKJV.

Why does it matter what we believe to be true? Because what is not true brings hurt and pain and disillusionment. What Creator God – Father, Son, Spirit, brings is His love so profound He created and sustains His creation. The truth of His love is the light that shines in the darkness of this world bringing real hope deep within. And in our chapter, John 15, Jesus, the Son, teaches. “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches, he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples. Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.” v. 1-11. Trusting God and being with Him in His love brings a joy that nothing in this world can bring. Everything else filters through that love and brings clarity. We are His and we are loved. God’s love is the firm foundation…there is no other. All the turmoil we see in this world and in our lives impacted by choices we and others make not of God’s love, is shifting unstable sand. “This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends. You are My friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you. You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you. This I command you, that you love one another.” v. 12-17. This one command shows us so much. “If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A slave is not greater than his master’. If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also. But all these things they will do to you for My name’s sake, because they do not know the One who sent Me. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin. He who hates Me hates My Father also. If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would not have sin; but now they have both seen and hated Me and My Father as well. But they have done this to fulfill the word that is written in their Law, ‘They hated Me without a cause.’ (Psalm 69:4). When the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, that is the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify about Me, and you will testify also, because you have been with Me from the beginning.” v. 18-27. Can we stop and think about what Jesus said, that all these things they will do to you – for My name’s sake – because they do not know the One who sent Me. When we hate others and act upon that hate, we do not know the Father or Jesus or the Holy Spirit. That should wake us up! “So then you will know them by their fruits. Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord’, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’” Matthew 7:20-23. Hate is lawlessness at its root. This I command you, that you love one another. Until we come out of the slavery of sin – we will not enter the kingdom of heaven. The Father prunes us until everything not of His love is burned up and removed. And we can trust Him to know! We can trust His love for everything!

Creator God – Father, Son, Spirit, is love. And it is His love that brings healing to our hearts and minds torn asunder with hate and the lies of this broken world. We cannot even see what we are enslaved to when we hate. His love frees us to trust Him. It takes tremendous love to turn away from the hate of every kind in this world of ours. That tremendous love is not ours – it is the love of Creator God given for our good in Him and with one another. That is where everything good begins!